


Lessons Learned

by echoflowertea



Series: Open Requests [36]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Underfell, F/M, Underfell Papyrus, Underfell Sans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-25
Updated: 2016-10-25
Packaged: 2018-08-24 14:03:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8374891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/echoflowertea/pseuds/echoflowertea
Summary: Papyrus has survived this long because he knows how the world works. Strangely enough, so have you.





	

**Author's Note:**

> **prompt** : Ahhhhhhhh your underfell fics are so so good!!! I loved your take on UF Sans <3 Could I request one with UF Papyrus instead? I love him so much and I'm so curious to read your interpretation of him!! Thank you love!
> 
> come hang with me on a [tumblr](http://echoflowertea.tumblr.com/read)!

When Papyrus was a child, he learned one important thing: the world was kill or be killed.

Underground was more of a prison than a home. It wasn’t safe; danger lurked around every corner.

His world was wrought with death, destruction and chaos. Monsters did everything in their power to become bigger and better than the rest of the population. If that meant slaughtering each other outright, then so be it. They targeted those who couldn’t defend themselves and did away with them, collecting the experience of shattering a monster’s SOUL and turning them into dust. He watched countless peers fall as they were hunted down and snatched away just because they couldn’t defend themselves.

He knew what real fear was like. Real fear was studying countless books of puzzles and traps so he wasn’t caught off guard. It was looking over his shoulder to make sure no one was aiming a devastating attack at him. It was making sure that his older brother, who had that dangerously low HP, didn’t end up ensnared in the jaws of another monster who could tear through him as easy prey.

Violence was the norm down here.

It made him sick.

But instead of giving up and falling to his knees, he did the one thing no one would ever expect.

He trained.

The starry-eyed skeleton who wanted to experience the world fully turned into the hulking lieutenant of the Royal Guard. He worked for months, years even, practicing his attacks. Getting into spars with every single person who dared to challenge him. Some of them came close to killing him. Others he subdued much more easily.

Undyne rose to power because she wanted the be freed. It was in her blood to fight, kill and maim. She enjoyed challenges and heading toward the brink of death.

Oddly enough, Papyrus didn’t.

But this life was a necessity. And if the guard was the one thing he could be a part of, something that would help him restore order and justice in a world where rules and honor meant nothing, then he would join it with no hesitation.

People Underground came to fear him. Just as he feared the others he spent years trying to destroy so others would be safe.

He was fine with that.

A hardened heart was better than a knife in his back.

“boss.”

“WHAT IS IT, SANS.”

“the human.”

“…WHAT ABOUT HER?”

“what do you think of her?”

Papyrus peered along the edge of the forest. Wondering if anyone was listening. The bitter cold of Snowdin was welcome along his bones. It kept him wide awake. Helped his mind stay sharp and senses clear. In the silence of the trees, he could hear every shuffle or whisper. Track every footstep that walked along the paths. And most of all, he could peer over the vast expanse of the cliffs and remember just who it was that he was fighting for.

“SHE DOESN’T INTEREST ME IN THE SLIGHTEST, SANS. USELESS TO US. WE CAN’T TAKE HER SOUL, SO THERE’S NO POINT.”

It was true. Papyrus had a goal in mind. To restore order in an unjust world. The king wanted to break the barrier so they could reside on the surface once more. He had other plans; if they couldn’t coalesce down here, what made them think it would be any different with even more space?

“wish she would do somethin’. instead of just sittin’ up there in her little fuckin’ kingdom. lookin’ down on all of us.”

Papyrus wasn’t sure that was the case. You’d grown up in a place where violence wasn’t as commonplace. From what he’d seen and heard, you hadn’t spent your entire life living with the one niggling thought that at any time you could be the next victim. He knew that hardships existed there. It would foolish not to see that. But that look in your eyes…

He crossed the snow and started his journey to the sentry station to recuperate from his earlier fight. Sans would head back home and get them something to eat for dinner. In the meantime, Papyrus moved along his carefully placed traps along the treeline.

He was just about to take his last step out and his cape caught along a branch.

The rip that resounded was enough to grate on his nerves, sending an unpleasant spark from the base of his skull to his scars.

“…TYPICAL,” he grunted, tugging it the best he could. The frayed threads snapped and a large chunk of the fabric fluttered to the ground.

The outfit had been complete and pristine when he first started. But just like him, it adopted battlescars and flaws that he would gladly keep if it meant it cemented his authority.

Without paying any more attention to it, he exited the deep woods and made his way back towards the town.

* * *

When you were a child, you learned one thing: treat others the way you want to be treated.

The surface was home. It was where you grew up. A place that you felt safe and secure in, somewhere that you knew was full of the freedom to be happy.

Falling Underground was…the worst mistake you could’ve made.

Monsters were the stuff of nightmares for a reason.

You thought maybe they were misunderstood, that their presence was just something that sprouted from old superstitions. Maybe just looking different and acting different paved the way for hatred; humans were fickle like that.

Unfortunately for you, the legends, myths and tales were all warnings. And you should have heeded to them better in retrospect.

Living down here wasn’t…horrible? As bad as it was, you were relatively safe. You’d made certain deals with the shopkeepers so they would trade with you, that was probably the hardest thing you needed to do. But a few well-rehearsed speeches and they decided they wouldn’t let you starve. You made your money doing odd jobs here and there, even knowing that you were being underpaid because you were a human. Monsters refused to interact with you and you knew that you were a bit of a pariah down here, but you couldn’t see yourself venturing out of the village any time soon.

Right now, you were gathering some snow to pack your freezer. And the nevermelting ice was deeper outside of town than you liked, which meant a short trip.

You were making sure that you had everything safe and secure in a small cooler when you heard a rapid fluttering against the slight wind. Like maybe a…bird? That was having trouble flapping its wings?

Curiosity got the better of you. You wandered from the cooler and toward the source of the sound. Something bright and full captured your vision almost immediately, a deep crimson that contrasted along the dull whites, greens, browns and blues of the forest around you.

You moved closer to watch the torn cape continue to beat against its wooden cage. Helpless. It looked like a sturdy material – something you could use to keep you warm on the nights were your heater refused to work properly. But the closer you got to it, the more you realized exactly what it was.

You’d seen this cape a hundred, if not a thousand, times. It belonged to the uniform of none other than The Great and Terrible Papyrus.

Funny. How did he leave this here? And why? You rolled it in your hands, brushing the pads of your fingers and savoring the coarseness to it. It wouldn’t have made a good blanket after all, but…it looked like it would work as an incredible insulator sometime.

He needed this. And he just threw it away, from the looks of it.

You stuffed it in your pockets and headed back to the cooler, needing to rush home before it got too dark. The town’s curfew was implemented for a reason, and you really weren’t looking for another awkward fight. It was basically just a monster trying to attack you while their magic did zero damage every single time.

You put the ice away. Hung around for a while. Ate dinner. Then went to change and…found the cape’s remains still in your pockets.

Something shifted in you. You gazed at it and closed your eyes, knowing that this was the wrong decision – but going through with it anyway.

Papyrus got up early to make sure that no one was causing trouble in town while everyone was supposed to be sleeping. He considered it a personal duty. Making sure that the people were…safe. From more unsavory creatures.

He made sure to get his uniform on, staring at the cracks in his bones in the bathroom mirror, and headed toward the front door to start yet another day full of challenges.

His boot promptly kicked something that sat at his porch. It was…a box. A simple brown box with absolutely no indication in who it was from.

Papyrus headed toward it and grabbed the strings that were tied haphazardly on the top of it. He pulled it apart and the box came undone almost immediately; the cardboard was soggy after hitting the small mound of snow already.

He stuck his hand inside…

And pulled out a cape.

No, not just any cape…

_His_ cape.

He wasn’t sure if this was…meant to be a threat or a childish prank. But his hands curled along the edge of it, crushing it in his grip, while he stormed out of his driveway and headed to the culprit’s house.

**BANG. BANG. BANG.**

You jumped. You’d been sitting on your couch, still in your jacket, sweatpants and boots, trying to calm yourself down from taking the plunge. You were exhausted from staying up nearly all night and wanted nothing more than to sleep. But the skeleton peering through your window with his ever-present scowl said enough about what kind of day this was going to be.

You swallowed the lump in your throat and hopped down from the couch, heading over to the door with your chest already tightening.

The door opened with a creak and time froze for a brief moment while you came face to…chest with the monster you’d heard horror stories about. Papyrus. He hadn’t said one word to you, you didn’t think, but meeting him in person made you realize that maybe this was a good thing. He was furious with you for whatever reason, his magic lingering around his figure in a thick, nearly stifling miasma.

“P-Papyrus, what can I…”

“YOU DID THIS. YOU LEFT THIS AT MY HOUSE.” He showed you the cape. Well, at least he was being direct with you. “YOU REPAIRED SOMETHING AND DROPPED IT OFF SO I WOULD FIND IT. WHAT. DO YOU. WANT.”

You swallowed hard. “I…don’t want anything.”

“NONSENSE. EVERY PERSON WANTS SOMETHING FOR SOMETHING ELSE. IT’S HOW THE WORLD WORKS, HUMAN, AND I DO KNOW THAT YOU’VE EXPERIENCED THAT MUCH. SO BE HONEST WITH ME, I HAVE MUCH TO DO. WHAT DID YOU HOPE TO GAIN FROM THIS?”

You could feel your voice caught in your throat. He was…terrifying. His name was a perfect description of how you regarded him, and it was getting kind of hard to collect yourself.

“I…don’t want anything,” you repeated, voice flat. “I did it…because I thought it would help you.”

“…I SEE.” He chuckled, the sound of it sending an unpleasant shudder down your entire body. “YOU WANT A FAVOR FROM ME. A DEBT. I DON’T HAVE THOSE. IF YOU’RE GOING TO BE VAGUE, THEN I WILL FIND SOME WAY TO SETTLE THIS SO YOU ARE OUT OF MY HAIR. SO TO SPEAK…” He regarded you with the same amount of disgust he might have for a piece of spoiled meat. “MONSTERS DON’T GIVE ANYTHING AWAY FOR FREE. AND I ASSUME HUMANS DON’T EITHER.”

You didn’t have time to protest. He stretched his hand out to you.

“TAKE THIS BACK.”

“…no.”

His eyesockets narrowed. “WHAT…DID YOU JUST SAY TO ME?”

“I spent all night working on that. I stitched it up so you could wear it again, not for myself. So take it and go.”

You weren’t sure where your sudden voice came from. Maybe it was because you were running on three hours of sleep at this point. Or because your stinging, needle-bitten fingers were begging you to close the door and rid thing from the rush of cold air. Whatever the case, you were fed up with this and weren’t taking no for an answer.

“I…AM NOT SURE YOU UNDERSTAND ME. I AM NOT INTERESTING IN OWING YOU ANYTHING.”

“I didn’t make it so you would owe me anything. I just…thought it would be nice, okay?”

You searched his expression. It was complex. Equal parts of rage, surprise and bewilderment.

Papyrus hadn’t gotten a gift in a long while. And he certainly hadn’t expected one from a human.

“I…”

Silence.

Awkward. Silence.

You both just stared at each other for a few more agonizing seconds before he turned heel and walked away. Just like that. You watched him trudge through the snow and head back to whatever he was planning to do before he showed up on your doorstep.

But not before he flung the cape around his shoulders and let it flow behind him like a billow of smoke.

With both the exhaustion and anxiety grabbing hold of you, you found yourself retiring to bed and spending the rest of the day huddled up in your warm blankets.

“SANS.”

“yeah, boss?”

Papyrus opened his mouth, closed it, and then turned away. “NEVER MIND. BACK TO YOUR POST.”

“hey. before ya go…izzat cape o’ yours, uh, new? looks kinda different from the usual one.”

His brother scoffed. “I HAVE NO CLUE WHAT YOU MEAN. LET’S PICK UP THE PACE.”

It was hard to wrap his head around it. A human? Giving him a…gift? For what reason? Papyrus was the one that the rest of the guard reported to in town, so perhaps you thought that you would get on his good side with such a thing. He wasn’t someone who was easily swayed with compliments and bribes.

But what could you possibly gain from all of this? You were a relatively quiet person…you never bothered anyone. Your manners were discussed and criticized throughout the entire town because you didn’t have the guts to stand up for yourself. You said “thank you” and “please”, two phrases that would’ve gotten you constant harassment and ridicule if it weren’t for the public’s slight fear of you and what you were capable of.

You had no reason to reach out to him. Not one that he could see, anyway.

In the midst of his musings, Papyrus found himself standing outside your house.

He knocked. You didn’t answer.

He left.

He came the next day. Knocked. You answered.

“Papyrus?” You swallowed. “What are you doing here?”

“I’M COMING IN.”

He pushed past you before you could protest. You kind of expected him not to ask, but it still would’ve been nice if he gave you a longer warning than that. You hadn’t cleaned up in a long time, you weren’t even properly dressed, and you were in the middle of breakfast.

“Do you…want something to drink?”

“I DON’T HAVE ANY GOLD ON ME. IT WEIGHS ME DOWN.”

You laughed for a bit, but realized he was serious. “I’m going to charge you for it. If you’re thirsty, help yourself.” You pushed the pitcher toward him. “It’s berry tea. I found some cool stuff out in the woods, and it’s totally safe.”

He looked offended you’d even asked.

“Uh, but I get it. You’re not used to eating and drinking things you haven’t prepared yourself.”

“NO. I JUST HATE BERRIES.”

You couldn’t believe it. He made you laugh. Pretty hard, actually. Something shifted in his expression while he watched you double over, but neither of you brought much attention to it once you were done.

“What…did you want to talk about? Is the cape holding up well?”

“YES, ACTUALLY. IT’S…ACCEPTABLE IN BOTH QUALITY AND AESTHETIC…” He trailed off. “I HAVE DONE ENOUGH RESEARCH, BUT CAME WITH NO RESULTS. I NEED TO KNOW WHAT IT IS YOU WANT FROM ME.”

You sighed and leaned back in the chair. He wasn’t even small enough to sit comfortably in the ones you had at the dining table, instead spilling out of it and towering over you. He would’ve looked ridiculous if he wasn’t so intimidating on his own.

“I don’t know what I can do to make you believe me, but I’m not interested in anything you have to give.”

“WHY NOT. YOU COULD DEMAND SOMETHING FROM ME. I WOULD REJECT IT, BUT IT BAFFLES ME YOU HAVE NOT.”

You shrugged. “I don’t need anything. I’ve got house, food, and a source of income. That’s all I need to survive here.”

“…I SUPPOSE YOU ARE RIGHT. I DON’T KNOW WHY I WASTED MY TIME. HUMAN, BEFORE I LEAVE, I NEED TO TELL YOU THIS FOR YOUR OWN GOOD: KINDNESS…IS A WEAKNESS.”

He stood up. Thinking that his words would sink in and his not-so friendly advice would leave you second guessing everything you’d done. It was much better to push this thought forward now, while you were still somewhat new to the area. Learning this lesson through experience was much harder.

About halfway to the door, with his gloved fingers barely grazing the knob, your next words stunned him and left him motionless.

“No. It isn’t.”

He straightened up. His back still to you. You wondered what he was thinking about right now, but weren’t sure you really wanted to know every grisly detail.

“WHY…DO YOU INSIST ON CHALLENGING ME? YOU AREN’T GOING TO WIN THIS.” He shook his head. “YOU MAY BE INVULNERABLE TO ATTACK, BUT THESE…ARE SIMPLE FACTS.”

“I don’t believe that. And you’re not changing my mind.”

“YOU ARE…INSUFFERABLE. TRULY, HUMANS ARE MORE WEAKMINDED THAN I COULD HAVE IMAGINED.”

He left.

You weren’t going to lie and say that his words didn’t sting, but…you knew where he was coming from. As odd as it was, seeing how the monsters acted and treated each other, it wasn’t a surprise that so many of them were so pessimistic and self-serving. All you did was try to show an ounce of common decency to one of them and his entire world was thrown out of whack. How sad was that?

You were in your backyard when Papyrus came to visit the next day.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”

“…um. Making a snowman?”

“YOU TALK AS IF I SHOULD KNOW WHAT THAT IS.”

You weren’t sure if this was a prank, but you were going to indulge him anyway. “I’m making a person made out of snow. For fun. I’ll roll three balls of snow and stack them on top of each other, use sticks as arms, a few pebbles for eyes, and mouth, and…I haven’t decided what I’ll use for a nose.”

Papyrus had a million questions. All of them related to why you thought this was a good idea and what it achieved. But…if he could take this opportunity to speak with you seriously on the decisions you’d made lately, he would gladly do so.

“WHY DO YOU BELIEVE IN KINDNESS?”

You dropped down to your knees and patted the snow together. Papyrus watched you. How small your form was as you made sure that it was clumped tight enough to roll over and place.

“Kindness is what separates us from…” Animals? Monsters? Both were a little insensitive given your location. “…bad people.”

“BAD PEOPLE,” he echoed. “THAT’S IT? AN IDENTIFIER?”

“No. I…believe that people should be kind to each other. That learning to accept each other’s differences can lead to living in harmony. You do that through keeping an open mind and an open heart.”

It was beyond sappy, but you were kind of put on the spot now.

Papyrus crouched down so you could face him.

“KINDNESS IS TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF HERE. IT IS A CHANCE FOR OTHERS TO FIND YOUR WEAKNESSES AND DESTROY YOU. IF YOU CONTINUE LIVING THE WAY YOU DID ON THE SURFACE, SOMEONE WILL FIND SOME WAY TO KILL YOU.”

“…is that so?” you muttered, fingers digging into the snow as you refused to look at him. “You really think that?”

“YES. I HAVE EXPERIENCED IT FIRSTHAND.”

He couldn’t believe he’d admitted that.

You couldn’t, either.

“I’m sorry.”

“THERE IS…NOTHING…TO BE SORRY ABOUT.” His chest felt tight for some reason. He lifted himself back up and stared at the falling flakes that landed in your hair. “YOU SHOULD GO BACK INSIDE. HUMANS ARE FRAGILE. THE COLD WILL KILL YOU.”

“Thanks for your concern.”

He scowled. “IT ISN’T…I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS. FINISH YOUR FLAKEFIGURE AND JUST GO BACK INSIDE.”

“Snowman,” you laughed. “Oh my god.”

“WHATEVER IT’S CALLED, IT’S…CHILDISH.”

“You say that now. Try building one with me sometime. It’s fun.”

“ABSOLUTELY NOT. GOODBYE.”

He still came back. This time with a spark in his eyes.

You were stoking the fire when he burst in. Not even bothering to tap off the snow from his boots on the welcome mat – until you told him to. He paused, tapped his feet, and then closed in on you so he could give you his two cents.

“IF THE MONSTERS KNEW HOW TO KILL YOU, THEY WOULD.”

“I know.”

“THE ONLY THING STOPPING THEM IS YOUR IMMUNITY TO MAGIC. IF THEY WORK AROUND THAT, YOUR SOUL IS GOING TO BE TAKEN. TO DESTROY THE BARRIER AND SET US FREE.”

“…I don’t want you guys to be trapped down here, Papyrus. If I could help, I would. But I would want to feel more comfortable doing it. Wanting to see you guys on the surface is hard when all you do is kill each other.”

He frowned. Shifted his weight from foot to foot. And then slowly lowered himself to join you on the floor.

You’d never been this close to any of the monsters outside of dealing with transactions. Even your work…they treated you like you were carrying the plague. You tried not to take it personally, but the gentle warmth from his body – or was that just the flames from the fire? – was enough for you to feel a little more at ease.

“DO HUMANS NOT HARM EACH OTHER ON THE SURFACE?”

“Yeah, they do. Not as often, though.”

“AND DO SOME OF THEM BREAK THE RULES? AND CAUSE PROBLEMS FOR OTHERS? LOOK OUT FOR JUST THEMSELVES?”

You nodded.

“MONSTERS AND HUMANS ARE FAR MORE ALIKE THAN YOU WOULD THINK, THEN…I AM NOT SURE WHETHER I AM COMFORTED BY THIS FACT.”

You made a move to change your position and rested your hand on Papyrus’ gloved one to steady yourself. He flinched at your sudden contact with him before returning his gaze to the fireplace. The flames licking upward and splattering strange shadows across his bones.

“…DO YOU WISH TO GO BACK?”

“Someday. Maybe.”

“I UNDERSTAND.”

The next day you made cookies. He lectured you on how you needed to spend less time eating unhealthy foods for you, since other monsters would catch on and use that to tire you out. Make you less likely to be on your toes. He ended up fishing out nearly every ingredient you had in the house to whip up a meal that was as bland as it was nutritious. You still finished everything on your plate.

The both of you found time to see each other in some context or another. You never stopped by his place, but you went out in the town a few times. Usually it was maintaining conversations while also taking care of chores. Papyrus really did like to chat more than he let on; you figured that this stern monster would want nothing more than to bark orders and bask in silence. He was actually really curious and you could appreciate that.

“…AND ONE OF THOSE TUBES OF ICING.”

“Why?”

“I HAVE MY REASONS.”

“Okay.” You plucked it off the shelf. “Hey, you want to stay for dinner?”

“YES.”

You really thought he would refuse, so that was…a welcome surprise. “Awesome. We can make a flakefigure.”

“SNOWMAN. AND I TOLD YOU THAT WAS MERELY A SLIP OF THE TONGUE.”

You laughed and his facial expression shifted to something much calmer. Over the past few months, he really did have an easier time in letting some of his squishy side peek through. You still would never challenge him to a fight, and heard he was just as brutal with his opponents, but you could turn a blind eye to that. Especially hearing some of the stuff that they did to him.

You weren’t sure why you were so nervous. Papyrus had eaten meals at your place all the time. It felt different, somehow. Like maybe a…date? You weren’t sure if that was a good idea. While he was an incredibly fun person – underneath all of that pomp and circumstance – you were also a little weirded out about getting close with someone who had killed in cold blood before.

Papyrus let himself in as usual. He shed his cape on the coat rack near the door and made sure not to drag any more snow in with his boots. In fact, he kicked those off, too. Crossing the room with a tray in hand.

“Um…what is that?”

“THIS IS FOR AFTER DINNER.”

“So it’s dessert.”

“I’M NOT REVEALING THAT INFORMATION. YOU’LL JUST HAVE TO WAIT.”

You weren’t sure if this was him being playful, but it got a smile out of you, anyway.

“I made your favorite.”

“DID YOU? …HOW PLEASANT.”

You put on some music from an old CD you managed to drag away from the shores in the forest, and the both of you talked up a storm. Papyrus liked to go over several battles he’d been through in his time and his detailed plans for how he would eventually transform the guard. You listened to him with rapt attention, knowing that he wouldn’t be going on so passionately if he didn’t truly care.

And maybe that was why you could tolerate him. Because as mean as he seemed, as horrifying as he appeared to the other monsters, he had good intentions. Misplaced ones, sure, but still good. If things in his life were different, if how he grew up wasn’t so violent and fearsome, then maybe he would’ve been able to express himself more fully.

You were in the middle of your last bite when the entire house shook. You heard a pounding on the front door and stood up, your chair scraping along the tiles, chest tightening.

“…I WILL GET THE DOOR. YOU STAY HERE.” Papyrus brandished his bone as a weapon and headed for the entrance to your home.

“Papyrus!” you called out, knowing full well he would ignore you.

It took all of your resolve to scramble from your spot to see what the fuss was about. Sans stood at the door, his jacket hood up to negate the cold, pupils flicking to you and fixing on your frightened form.

“boss, this ain’t no _time_ to be playin’ house. we’ve got monsters from waterfall movin’ in.”

“WHY…ARE THEY DOING THIS…” he snarled.

“undyne’s at the palace, so they ain’t got anyone to keep ‘em in check. said they want the human…or else.”

You froze. Stared at the both of them. Opened your mouth to say something.

“THEY WILL NOT HAVE HER.”

“ya don’t hafta tell me twice.” Sans scowled. “s’why i came lookin’. let’s get goin’, boss.”

You weren’t sure what to say at this point. Papyrus was determined to leave to defend the town. Because as much as the people hated him sometimes, he was the strongest and most powerful monster around. He was as brutal as he was talented. In a pinch, he would be the one to save them. And he would do it because he was bound to the insignia on his uniform.

“WE WILL FINISH OUR MEAL LATER. FEEL FREE TO OPEN THE TRAY.” He picked up his things and prepared himself for the march toward the border. “LOCK THE DOORS. AND FIND SOMEWHERE SAFE TO HIDE.”

Sans left, wanting to get a head start on preparing everyone for the attack. Papyrus hesitated at the doorway. His back to you, head drooping, shoulders tense. You could feel how stressed he was at the situation, you had no words to comfort him.

“Papyrus…”

“YES.” He didn’t turn back to face you. “WHAT IS IT?”

“…please try to be merciful.”

He left before you received an answer.

You busied yourself in cleaning everything up. Sans made the situation sound dire, but in actuality, you knew that Papyrus was going to triumph. He’d never done anything less.

Still…

As you washed the dishes, dried them, and put them away, it got late. The hands kept turning around the clock and you found yourself wondering just where he was.

If he was still in the throes of battle or if he was resting up somewhere and tending to his wounds. You should’ve had some bandages and other healing items in stock, but it would’ve been…a little strange for him to come all the way back here when he wasn’t well. He should’ve gone straight home and just dealt with his injuries there.

Dressed in pajamas. Ready for bed. Holding a warm cup in your hands and sipping away at it, trying to relax your mind and body so you could actually get to sleep.

Out of curiosity, you headed toward the kitchen and lifted the edge of the foil that lined the pan.

Oh.

It was…a house made out of graham crackers. Topped with a bunch of candy. The icing and sprinkles corresponded to the glittering snow outside, all of it lining the roof and the ground. In the front yard were three small figures. A human – which was supposed to be you, if you dared to be that bold, a skeleton – which was dressed head to toe in Papyrus’ signature outfit, and a snowman. With Papyrus’ cape wrapped around his neck for a makeshift scarf.

You stared at it for a full ten minutes. Marveling at the details. Wondering how he got the gumdrops placed just right. His figures were lifelike, the candy was set with a steady hand, and the entire thing looked like it came right out of a dream.

You were running your fingertip along the dried icing, wondering if it was okay to take just a quick bite, when you heard the door open.

What?! You knew you locked it! Oh God, what if someone picked the lock and made their way inside to kidnap you after all? You weren’t even dressed for this!

Brandishing the nearest thing you could grab – which was a wooden spoon you’d washed not hours before – you found yourself face-to-chest with the monster in question himself.

“Papyrus, what–”

He bent down and draped himself on your shoulder. Weight slowly sinking into you. You lifted a hand up and dropped the spoon to steady him, letting out a slight grasp while he rested his chin in the crook of your neck.

“Are you okay? What happened?”

He didn’t say a word. You led him to the kitchen and sat him down.

“Oh…your scar…”

“IT GOT WORSE,” he muttered, lifting a hand up to his mouth and eye. “I WAS CARELESS.”

“You took more hits than usual.”

“I GAVE THEM A CHOICE, AS I ALWAYS DO. THEY REFUSED. AND THEN I REMEMBERED YOUR WORDS BEFORE I LEFT.” He faltered. “I SHOWED THEM MERCY AND IT DID NOTHING. ONE BY ONE, ALL OF THEM FOUGHT TO THEIR DEATHS.”

Your heart broke. You believed him.

He was still having a hard time looking up at you. You took this chance to place both hands on his cheekbones and forced him to make eye contact with you.

“Thank you, Papyrus.”

“…I THOUGHT I WOULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE. I DIDN’T.”

“You can’t save everyone.”

“…QUITE THE LESSON TO LEARN…NYEH…HEH…”

You leaned in and kissed him.

He returned it without any hesitation.

Warmth in your chest. Face reddening. His hands trailing up to make sure you didn’t pull him away. Steadying and holding you in place while he accepted it all.

“You…”

“YES?”

You went in for another long, heated kiss. It didn’t take long before that was all you could do. You weren’t sure what it was that finally forced your hand. The gift he made for you? Concern about your safety? The lengths he went through in order to keep his promise, despite how much it backfired? Guilt for only exacerbating his scars and giving him another thing he would have to carry for the rest of his life as a gentle reminder of all those he’d killed?

The reasoning for snapping was up in the air, but you knew one thing: he wanted you, too. And that was enough.

He rested his forehead against yours. Peering into you with zero space between you. His body warm despite the chill from outside still lingering on his uniform. Every part of him, from the slight part of his mouth to the smoldering gaze he held, said that he was one hundred percent sure he would be here rather than anyone else.

“Papyrus.”

“WE CAN EAT IT IN A MINUTE. I JUST NEED MORE TIME WITH YOU.”

Given everything that happened tonight, you were happy to oblige.

* * *

When Papyrus was an adult, he learned one important thing: kindness was not a weakness.

How else could he have met the one person who gave him the strength to live on?

**Author's Note:**

>  **please comment**! i love hearing your thoughts!  <3
> 
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